Football

Football Team Hosts Plymouth State

Sept. 24, 2010

NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA-The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's football team hopes that coming home will help them be successful when the Corsairs host Plymouth State at Cressy Field in the annual Homecoming Game. Kickoff is at 12 noon at Cressy Field.

The Corsairs are 1-2, having dropped games at Bridgewater State and Maine Maritime on the road the last two weeks, while PSU is 2-1 and is coming off a 17-0 victory at Bridgewater State. The game is the New England Football Conference Boyd Division opener for both schools.

"It's a tough game on homecoming," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Mark Robichaud. "Plymouth has been one of the top teams in our division, and this is the third week in a row where we are playing a team that is just going to run the ball right at you. Their quarterback, J.J. Brooks, is a great athlete. He runs the ball very well, he runs their option very well, and he throws the ball very well. They also have Ty Long, who is a tremendous running back and a very good football player."

Robichaud hopes playing at home will give his team a lift. "It's homecoming, and it's supposed to be a beautiful day," said Robichaud. "We're still upbeat and optimistic, and we can't wait to get back and play in our division."

The Panthers are one of the Boyd Division favorites. "Their offensive line is big and aggressive, I think they're the best coached offensive line in our conference, and they present a challenge to our defense," said Robichaud. "They're very disciplined defensively, and they run a scheme that we don't see a lot of, so we've spent extra time this week preparing for it."

UMass Dartmouth has scored seven points in the last two games after scoring 37 on opening day against Fitchburg State, and putting points on the board could be a key to being successful. "You can't win a game if you don't score," said Robichaud. "Our defense is working very hard, they had a great first half and a tough second half against Maine Maritime. We have a lot of confidence in our offensive scheme. We're depending on a lot of freshmen, and we're just making some mistakes related to inexperience. We're going to get better and better each week, and, as we gain more experience, we're going to score more points."

The Corsairs will visit MIT next Saturday and return home to play Salve Regina on Saturday evening, October 9th.